GOING LIVE: NXNE 2012 – Day One

Like most Toronto dwellers know, North By Northeast always starts off a bit quiet but the “almost too quiet” feel is heavily attributed to the fact it’s just the calm before the storm. With a new tie, a pressed shirt and some fresh kicks, NXNE 2012 launched by pushing out an incredible pool of indie talent, featuring chaos-heavy local punk rhythms (TEENANGER, THIGHS), tasteful hip hop (BLAKE CARRINGTON) and ear-skirting indie rock with sharp fangs (ARMY GIRLS, THE DIRTY NIL). There was also a lot of hype about a few homegrown house shows and the bluesy die-hard duo of Gus Wenner and Scout Willis but it was all just a fixating kind of icing on a cake ready to explode.